Crossroads

Alone in the small room of the wooden cabin, Stephanie sat on the wooden plank, her expression downcast as she looked down at her flat belly, recalling Dominick's words. Her face was stern, tinged with a hint of grievance.

"Don't be mad at your husband," Kelly walked in slowly and kindly advised.

Stephanie almost immediately retorted, "He's not my husband!"

Stephanie felt frustrated that others would think he was her husband! Just the thought of it made her feel disgusted!

Kelly smiled at the angry look on Stephanie's face. "It's normal for couples to have friction and disputes. Sometimes, men are just blunt and not good at expressing themselves. If there's any misunderstanding, you should just talk things through."

Stephanie remained silent.

She suddenly remembered Vincent saying that the person who took her away wasn't sent by Dominick.

She wondered if that was really the case. He had been so fierce with her in the hospital before...

"Eat this while it's warm. You're hungry, and your baby in the belly is hungry too," Kelly said as she handed her the bowl of trout with beans.

Stephanie looked at the bowl with some hesitation.

"Your husband stewed this. Come on, eat it."

Kelly urged kindly as she gushed in admiration at the thought of Dominick. "Your husband is really handsome. His demeanor... My husband will never be able to compare."

Kelly wasn't well-read and could only describe Dominick as handsome.

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Stephanie immediately frowned and said with annoyance, "When he's angry, his yelling is terrifying." She didn't think he was handsome at all. Others were just blinded by Dominick's seemingly handsome appearance.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared fiercely at the bowl of trout with beans in front of her.

Why was she starving herself? She should just eat this!

Stephanie took the bowl grimly from Kelly's hand and spooned the food into her mouth, cursing Dominick in her heart.

"Your wife is...fierce," Vincent couldn't help but sigh outside the room that was separated by a floral curtain hanging over the door.

He had been worried that Stephanie would throw a tantrum and not eat anything, but then he saw her wolfing the food down as if she was devouring her enemy.

Dominick said nothing, but a faint smile crept up his eyes.

Stephanie quickly finished the big bowl of trout with beans. She felt full and satisfied, and smiled brightly at Kelly. "Thank you."

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Dominick thought her smile was really sweet, with two shallow dimples on her cheeks. He was momentarily lost in thought, mesmerized by the sight of her.

"Who's outside?" Kelly heard a faint sound and called out.

Caught off guard, Vincent awkwardly pressed his lips. "It's Dominick, he's worried..." He had barely finished speaking when he turned and noticed that Dominick had already left.

Feeling upset, Stephanie snorted at Vincent outside the door and said,

"Eavesdropping on women talking. Vincent, you are so gossipy."

Vincent looked frustrated. If only he could teach her a good lesson!

But... Stephanie was a witch, always relying on Dominick to back her up and treating them badly.

There was only one wooden bed in the cabin, which was where Ryan and Kelly slept. They generously offered it to Stephanie to rest, but she felt embarrassed and rejected their offer.

"Stephanie, you're shameless, aren't you? So, are you planning to sleep with us on the hay tonight?" Vincent teased her coolly, still holding a grudge against her.

Stephanie glared at him and went to sit on the hay pile in the corner to take a nap, ignoring his teasing remarks.

The clock on the wall struck midnight. Dominick and the others had three fires burning in the spacious cabin hall. They sat close to the fires, drying their wet clothes.

But the howling wind outside and rain pounding on the door kept them awake all night. The eerie sounds echoing around interrupted their sleep.

Stephanie leaned against the wall, all curled up as she hugged her knees.

Feeling exhausted, she buried her head between her knees, drifting off to sleep soon after.

The men couldn't sleep and were chatting.

Suddenly, Dominick gave them a look. That was when they noticed Stephanie had fallen asleep and they immediately fell silent.

One of them nudged Vincent and stuttered in shock, "What...what's wrong with Mr. Wellington?"

Vincent looked at Dominick with an awkward expression.

Vincent solemnly warned them, "Don't offend her..."

Dominick stood up and approached Stephanie, He sat beside her on the hay, gazing down at her.

Stephanie was leaning against the wall as she hugged her knees, her head resting on them. She looked pale and exhausted, with a few strands of hair hanging messily down her forehead.

He reached out to gently smooth the strands of hair on her forehead. Perhaps even Dominick himself didn't realize how gentle his movements were at that moment.

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11:23 Fri, 21 Jun Chapter 33

He touched her cheek and found it cold. He draped his jacket over her and watched her sleeping, lost in thought.

She looked so obedient and quiet when she slept.

But only when she slept. He found her as difficult to handle as an angry cat when she was awake.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

The rudimentary though sturdy wooden door was not properly locked and was blown open by the fierce wind.

The three small fires were instantly extinguished by the gusty wind and rain, and even the lamp hanging above the hall was blown down and shattered on the floor.

In an instant, the cabin was plunged into darkness.

Startled by the sudden noise, Stephanie trembled.

"Don't move." A deep voice sounded in her ear.

His warm breath on her cheek made her tingle.

Stephanie became even more flustered, shocked that Dominick was sitting next to her!

As if instinctively afraid of him, Stephanie immediately pushed him away, but Dominick held her tighter. "Don't move. The lamp broke and there are shards all over the floor," he added in a resigned tone.

Soon, Vincent and the others locked the door tightly and lit the fires again with a lighter, bringing light back to the cabin.

Vincent chuckled mischievously.

The flames in the bonfire danced, casting an ambiguous light on Dominick and Stephanie in the corner.

Stephanie blushed as she caught the curious gazes of these men. She struggled and muttered through gritted teeth, "Let me go!" How embarrassing!

"Just pretend they're not here."

Dominick held her tighter, suddenly unwilling to let go. He locked eyes with her stubborn and bright eyes and said, coaxing her, "Go to sleep. Stop fussing."

Stephanie was annoyed. She wasn't fussing!

"Let go of me." She dared not speak too loudly and resisted in a low voice.

Looking at her irritable stance, Dominick didn't know how to handle the situation at that moment. He really didn't understand women well.

After a moment of silence, Dominick patted her head as if trying to soothe her.

Stephanie's face turned dark instantly.

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Vincent and the others turned away, thinking that if Dominick did anything impulsive tonight, they would pretend to be blind and deal.

The long night seemed endless. They initially found the roaring wind and rain outside the door deafening, but everyone eventually closed their eyes and fell asleep.

But Stephanie couldn't sleep at all!

"Go away." She persisted, trying hard to push Dominick away.

But Dominick's strength made it impossible for her to break free.

Bound by his dominance, Stephanie felt a sense of helplessness and injustice welling up in her heart. She disliked being dramatic, but perhaps because of the rainy night or the relentless sound of rain outside, she felt tears welling up.

Embarrassed to wake others, she lowered her voice and said angrily.

"Dominick, you come from a good background and everyone obeys you. But What did I do wrong? I somehow ended up sleeping with you and ended up pregnant. I was dragged off like a criminal to city hall to get our marriage license. What do you all take me for..."

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Her voice choked up as she spoke.

"And then you said you didn't want this child and that you wanted it Id and gone. I know I'm not worthy of someone like you, but what gives you the right to treat me like this?"

She struggled to suppress her voice, making it very low and soft, but Dominick could hear her words clearly which caused his body to tremble slightly.

Dominick gazed down at her, the fading flames reflecting on Stephanie's stubborn and tearful face.

She was just so straightforward and unpretentious, resisting fiercely whenever she was upset.

Mixed feelings filled Dominick's heart. He slowly released his grip over her....

But suddenly, Stephanie seemed to remember something and nervously grabbed him. "I don't want to lose this baby!" Her voice trembled. "Dominick, I don't want to lose this baby. If you don't want it, I do! I can raise it on my own. I may not be able to provide him with the best environment, but I will try my best..."

She tightly grasped his arm, pleading humbly, "I want to keep this baby. I want it.

I beg you..." Tears welled up in her eyes. Dominick's eyes darkened, and he leaned down, impatiently kissing her trembling lips. In an instant, her words ceased, and even her body stiffened.

It wasn't because he suddenly kissed her, but...

"Sorry..."

Dominick uttered with difficulty, his voice low and hoarse.

Stephanie trembled and felt as if she was hearing things.

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He tightened his grip, enveloping her in his arms. They nestled together, their breaths mingling. He looked down, whispering in her ear, repeating. "Stephanie, I'm sorry."

Dominick wasn't used to apologizing. Since his childhood, few had made him utter such words of apology, but the last time at the hospital, he really He couldn't explain why he cared so much, but he was indeed very ang Stephanie Seemed startled by his apology, too confused to react.

She was shocked that he actually apologized to her...

After that, neither of them spoke. He held her tightly, unwilling to let go, while she couldn't break free, each lost in their own thoughts, their hearts beating erratically.

They stayed like that until the next morning, until the three bonfires from last night had burned out...